Pinoys affected by Maui fires may seek consulate assistance

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos affected by the wildfires in Hawaii may seek assistance from the consulate office in Honolulu, President Marcos said on Tuesday.

“With the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers, we are determining the number of Filipinos affected by the wildfire,” Marcos said in a post on social media.

Filipinos can seek assistance through the 24/7 emergency hotline +1808 253-9446 or through the government’s official e-mail address, [email protected], he said.

The President gave assurance that the government is closely monitoring the condition of the Filipinos in Hawaii.

“The Philippine consul general in Hawaii is coordinating with local authorities and the Filipino community on the latest information related to the incident,” he said in Filipino.

The DFA on Tuesday reported that around 50 Filipino teachers were among the thousands of individuals who were able to flee from the wildfires in Maui.

It said the Philippine consulate office is sending a team to assist affected Filipinos.

DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes earlier said a large number of Filipinos could have been affected by the wildfires in Maui.

He said these Filipinos are not likely to seek repatriation as most of them are permanent residents.

Cortes said the 50 Filipinos are safe from the wildfires, the largest natural disaster in the history of Hawaii as a US state.

The fire was first reported near Lahaina on Aug. 8.As of Monday, the death toll from the Maui wildfires rose to 99.